The following U.S. patents and patent applications provide background information and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/627,323 discloses an outboard marine engine comprising an internal combustion engine and a propulsor that is driven into rotation by the internal combustion engine so as to effectuate a thrust. The outboard marine engine further includes a transmission that shifts amongst a forward gear wherein the thrust is forward thrust, a reverse gear wherein the thrust is a reverse thrust, and a neutral gear wherein the thrust is a zero thrust. The outboard marine engine further includes a shift rod that is rotatable about its own axis, wherein rotation of the shift rod about its own axis shifts the transmission amongst the forward gear, the reverse gear, and the neutral gear. An actuator operably connects to the internal combustion engine and causes rotation of a gear shaft. At least one gearset connects the gear shaft to the shift rod such that rotation of the gear shaft about its own axis rotates the shift rod about its own axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,043,058 discloses methods and systems for facilitating shift changes in a marine propulsion device having an internal combustion engine and a shift linkage that operatively connects a shift control lever to a transmission for effecting shift changes amongst a reverse gear, a neutral gear and a forward gear. A position sensor senses position of the shift linkage. A speed sensor senses speed of the engine. A control circuit compares the speed of the engine to a stored engine speed and modifies, based upon the position of the shift linkage when the speed of the engine reaches the stored engine speed, a neutral state threshold that determines when the control circuit ceases reducing the speed of the engine to facilitate a shift change.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,439,800 discloses a shift control system for a marine drive that applies partial clutch engagement pressure upon initial shifting from forward to reverse to prevent stalling of the engine otherwise caused by applying full clutch engagement pressure upon shifting from forward to reverse.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,530 discloses an engine control strategy for a marine propulsion system selects a desired idle speed for use during a shift event based on boat speed and engine temperature. In order to change the engine operating speed to the desired idle speed during the shift event, ignition timing is altered and the status of an idle air control valve is changed. These changes to the ignition timing and the idle air control valve are made in order to achieve the desired engine idle speed during the shift event. The idle speed during the shift event is selected so that the impact shock and resulting noise of the shift event can be decreased without causing the engine to stall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,518 discloses a shifting apparatus for a marine propulsion device that incorporates a magnetoelastic elastic sensor which responds to torque exerted on the shift shaft of the gear shift mechanism. The torque on the shift shaft induces stress which changes the magnetic characteristics of the shift shaft material and, in turn, allows the magnetoelastic sensor to provide appropriate output signals representative of the torque exerted on the shift shaft. This allows a microprocessor to respond to the onset of a shifting procedure rather than having to wait for actual physical movement of the components of the shifting device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,771 discloses a control system for a marine propulsion system that can be attached to a marine vessel and connected in signal communication with a serial communication bus and a controller. A plurality of input devices and output devices are also connected in signal communication with the communication bus and a bus access manager, such as a CAN Kingdom network, is connected in signal communication with the controller to regulate the incorporation of additional devices to the plurality of devices in signal communication with the bus whereby the controller is connected in signal communication with each of the plurality of devices on the communication bus. The input and output devices can each transmit messages to the serial communication bus for receipt by other devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,986 discloses an idle speed control system for a marine propulsion system that controls the amount of fuel injected into the combustion chamber of an engine cylinder as a function of the error between a selected target speed and an actual speed. The speed can be engine speed measured in revolutions per minute or, alternatively, it can be boat speed measured in nautical miles per hour or kilometers per hour. By comparing target speed to actual speed, the control system selects an appropriate pulse width for the injection of fuel into the combustion chamber and regulates the speed by increasing or decreasing the pulse width.